And you thought this was only about writing. It’s about life, too. I’ll warn you that today’s blog is a bit of a ramble, but it is about being a writer.    

Get a group of writers together and they are as varied in personality as you’ll find anywhere. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard (and I said it more than once myself early on) “I’m not sure if I”m really cut out to be a writer. I keep writing but I’m not published. Is anyone going to be really interested in this stuff or should I quit? ” Most of us write because we must write. It builds up in our brains and we can’t not write or we would explode. That is all part of the writer’s life. Most of us would write whether anyone read it or not. Don’t get me wrong. It is much better if someone reads it, publishes it, and our book makes the New York Bestsellers list. I’m still working on making the list. 

Remember the old commercials for potato chips? Bet you can’t just eat one? How many hands full of popcorn and peanuts can you eat? That’s how developing story lines is for many writers. For those who are beginners, don’t give up. Let yourself give in to the urge to write another story. Reach for another potato chip and enjoy it. Enjoy the process. Some chips are over cooked. Some stories aren’t as good as others. It doesn’t stop us from going back for more. Keep writing.

Stories just keep on developing in a writers head. They won’t stop. Ideas tumble over one another. That doesn’t mean we don’t get stuck sometimes. Blocked. Either too many ideas and there is a log jam or we experience it as no idea at all. Take a deep breath because the next idea is just around the corner. Relax. Read a good book and then start writing again. Go to a movie and eat a large bucket of popcorn. Come back to your keyboard refreshed and ready to indulge your addiction to writing.